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Sunday, November 18, 2012

You know that moment when you feel like you've been kicked in the stomach? Nothing actually touches you, but all the air just escapes your body. Yeah, the MVP voting in the AL felt just like that. At least most of the voting went as it should in the Junior Circuit, well almost most.

MVP: Mike Trout Miguel Cabrera
This whole thing has been argued ad nauseum. Triple Crown or WAR? One-dimensional player or total package? Fat guy versus the guy built like a mid size truck? I'm more interested in finding out what led Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal to believe that not only did Mike Trout not deserve the MVP, but that he didn't even deserve to come in second place either. But there are more tragedies than that. Like, how did Derek Fucking Jeter finish waaaaaaaay ahead of OBP King Joe Mauer and one place ahead of last year's MVP Justin Verlander? Sorry DJ, you should be a little further down on this list.

Raul Ibanez received a vote. How, I don't know, but he did. Josh Reddick finished ahead of Albert Pujols. If you thought that was going to happen coming into the season, you're a liar. And, Alex Rios finished in the top 15. Yup, the same Alex Rios. It's funny, this baseball.

Cy Young: David Price

Pitching wins FTW. As much as I hate to admit it, Justin Verlander probably should've repeated as Cy Young award winner this year. But voters love themselves some wins, so, there's that. David Price is still a solid pick, but this was a neck and neck finish that had Price barely edging out Verlander at 153-149 in total points and 14-13 in first place votes. David did finish with 20 wins and the ERA title while finally logging 200+ innings. But Verlander pitched three full games worth of innings more than Price as well as registering a lower WHIP, a higher bWAR and completing six games this year. I'd take Justin, but I'm OK with David.

I would like to take this moment to tell Fernando Rodney to go to hell. Nice to see you remembered how to pitch, now put your hat on right. Japanese import Yu Darvish rounded out the nine finalists, early Cy Young favorite Jered Weaver came in third with his league leading WHIP and Chris Sale pulled off the bullpen to rotation transition quite well finishing sixth in the voting.

Rookie of the Year: Mike Trout
There were five finalists for this award, but there didn't really need to be. Sometime in mid August they had already started inscribing Trout's name onto the front of this award. This really was an exceptional rookie class for the American League, and if Mike Trout isn't in the running, the debate would have been one for the ages. Except it wasn't because Mike Trout had a season that was one for the ages. A unanimous winner getting all 28 first place votes, and really anything less would have been a disgrace.

Yoenis Cespedes edged out Darvish for first guy to stand next to Mike Trout in line with 63 total points to Yu's 46. Wei-Yin Chen and Jarrod Parker rounded out the voting, but the only player people are gonna remember from this class is Mike Trout.

Manager of the Year: Bob Melvin
Wrong wrong wrong. This award should have been Buck Showalter's. Bob Melvin and the A's had low expectations coming into 2012, Showalter and the Orioles had NO expectations coming into 2012. The O's were slowly but surely creeping into Pirates territory having notched 14 consecutive losing seasons coming into this year. In situations like this, I would normally scream about bias, but it seems like the writers forgot to consult their globe before casting a vote this year. Score one for the left coast, even if it was the wrong choice.

I still don't understand how some managers even end up on this list to tell you the truth. Ron Washington? Joe Girardi? Jim Leyland? Really? Wash had taken the Rangers to two consecutive World Series coming into this year, I'm no longer impressed if his team plays well. Girardi manages for the Yankees and the Bank of Steinbrenner, not impressed. Jim Leyland's Tigers went out and got on of the highest priced sluggers in the off season, not impressed. And neither is Maroney. Now, if Ned Yost had gotten some votes, then I would have been impressed.